If your spa is serving clients who want immediate results and are interested in the visible benefits of facial fillers, this information proves that appearances are improved with this type of medical treatment.

The results of a new landmark study published in the March 2010 issue of Dermatologic Surgery, the official publication of the American Society for Dermatologic Surgery (ASDS), confirm that a single, multisyringe treatment session administering facial fillers yields a quantifiable reduction in apparent age.

During the past several years, the use of injectable products to eliminate wrinkles and restore fullness to the skin has increased exponentially, due to sun damage, heredity and age contributing to frown lines and wrinkles. Aesthetic physicians use a variety of fillers to diminish wrinkles and return a more youthful appearance by binding water to the skin and replacing lost volume. Hyaluronic acid fillers are the most commonly used worldwide and have an excellent safety profile.

In this study, ten female patients, aged 42 to 59 with moderate to severe volume loss of the face, received several syringes (6-9 mLs) of injectable hyaluronic acid into the cheeks, tear troughs, nasolabial folds, marionette lines, lips and chin in a single treatment session. No touch-up or alteration of treatment was allowed within the four-week study period.

Three board-certified cosmetic dermatologists assessed age at baseline, week three, and week four in photographs. The median decrease in perceived age at four weeks post-treatment was 7.3 years for the clinical investigators.

According to lead investigator Amy Forman Taub, MD, assistant clinical professor at Northwestern University Medical School, “This is the first study that provides objective data which quantifies how much a patient can improve with fillers.” Co-investigator Deborah S. Sarnoff, MD, clinical professor of dermatology at NYU Medical Center, notes “Patients always ask me, 'How much younger can I look with fillers?'” Sarnoff goes on to say “One patient recently told me 'The mother of the bride just got a facelift. I’m the mother of the groom—I’ve got limited time, limited funds, and looking 7.3 years younger without going under the knife is good enough for me. I’ll take it!'”

Other key findings of the study include:

Post-treatment, the patients always perceived an even higher median change in age than the clinical investigators. For example, the median change in perceived age of the patient at two weeks was 6.1 years for the investigators and 9 years for the patients.

Similarly, while the investigators perceived a median change in age of 7.3 years four weeks post-treatment, the median change as perceived by the patients at four weeks was 7.8.

This study confirms that multisyringe injections of hyaluronic acid filler into the aging face in a single treatment session can result in a statistically significant decrease in perceived age. Fillers, with or without concurrent Botox or laser resurfacing, can rejuvenate the face quickly, safely and cost-effectively, without surgery.

About the study

“The Effect of Multisyringe Hyaluronic Acid Facial Rejuvenation on Perceived Age” was published in Dermatologic Surgery (Dermatol Surg 2010; 36: 323–328). In the study, three blinded board-certified cosmetic dermatologists rated 36 images taken by the VISIA CR system, all of the images were of the lower two-thirds of the face (the upper third was not treated) and included a standardized frontal view and two side views at 45° angles.

The images were scrambled such that there was no indication of which photos were before and after. Each clinical investigator was instructed to look at each image and spend no more than 30 seconds rating the subject’s age. They were also instructed not to compare photos or change any age rating after 30 seconds.

Analysis of the data revealed that multisyringe injection of hyaluronic acid filler into the aging face results in a reduction of apparent age of 6.1 to 9 years younger after two to four weeks.

Note: treatments that a licensed esthetician may perform in a medical spa space vary by state. Please consult with your state board before adopting or performing any unfamiliar treatment.